How to Grow Melody Hybrid Spinach

Melody spinach is slow to bolt, offering a longer season of fresh greens from the garden.

The fresh, fluffy, dark-green leafiness of a spinach salad paired with a chunk of sourdough bread and a sparkling glass of wine qualifies as a one of the delightful rewards of growing spinach in your own garden. Picked, rinsed and tossed into an omelet with herbs and a sprinkle of cheese, your homegrown leafy greens turn into an gourmet-quality brunch treat. Whether you are a first-time gardener or an experienced expert, the Melody variety of spinach (Spinacia oleracea 'Melody') is a reliable producer of dark-green, nutrient-rich leaves to enhance your meals. An award-winning hybrid, developed by breeders in the 1970s, Melody is favored for its speedy growth, disease resistance and attractive, lightly crinkled leaves. Unlike many standard spinach varieties that bolt when the weather first starts warming up, Melody continues to flourish for several weeks in warmer temperatures, extending the season for growing, harvesting and serving up flavorful spinach dishes to family and friends.

Planting Seeds Directly in Garden Soil

1

Loosen the soil in your garden plot with a gardening fork or turn it over with a shovel in the early spring or late autumn when the ground is cool to the touch, but dry enough to handle without the dirt clumping.

2

Spread a layer of compost 1-inch deep over the planting area and work it into the top 1 to 2 inches of soil. Melody and other spinach varieties require fertile ground to flourish, and the organic matter will help jump-start a healthy crop as the seedlings emerge and become established.

3

Create 1/2-inch-deep planting rows, spaced 1 to 1½ feet apart, by drawing the tip of a garden trowel across the surface of the soil.

4

Place Melody hybrid spinach seeds in each row, allowing about 1 inch of space between each seed. Sprinkle ½ inch of fine dirt over the seeds and pat down the soil of each row firmly with your hand or the back of a trowel.

5

Water the newly planted seeds daily with a watering can or a garden hose nozzle set to a fine mist spray. Continue watering the plants frequently as they grow to full size, making sure the soil remains moist, but never soggy.

6

Thin the rows when the seedlings reach 1 to 2 inches high, leaving a space of about 6 inches between each remaining Melody spinach plant. Tug the excess plants out of the ground gently when the soil is moist to avoid disturbing the roots of your growing plants.

7

Surround the spinach plants with a 1-inch layer of mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil. If any weeds do emerge, pull them out when they are big enough to grasp firmly and the soil is damp enough that the roots come out, too.

8

Fertilize the spinach after you thin the rows and again every two weeks thereafter. Use a granular commercial fertilizer with a 3-2-1 ration of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to ensure the spinach receives sufficient nitrogen to thrive and maintain its rich green color. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of fertilizer per plant, or the volume the manufacturers label recommends, along the rows about an inch away from the base of the plants. Gently work the fertilizer into the ground with a forked hand tool and then water the plants.

9

Harvest the outer leaves of Melody spinach as they reach a height of 4 inches or greater to enjoy the full beauty of this hybrid's savoy, or crinkled, leaves.

Starting Seeds Indoors

1

Fill small pots with potting soil or germinating mix about three weeks before you plan to start your outdoor garden. Set the pots on a tray and water the soil mixture thoroughly. Allow them to sit for several hours until no more moisture drips out of the bottom.

2

Press a 1/4-inch deep indentation into the center of each pot and drop a single Melody spinach seed into each shallow hole. Fill in the indentations with soil mix and mist the top of the pots with a spray of water just enough to smooth out the soil surface.

3

Slip the tray of newly planted pots into a plastic bag and close the end with a twist tie to retain moisture as the seeds germinate. When the seedlings emerge in 1 to 1½ weeks, remove the bag and spray the pots with water one or more times a day as needed to maintain even moisture.

4

5

Water the transplanted spinach daily, if necessary, to keep the roots and surrounding soil moist. Spread mulch, apply fertilizer routinely and harvest on the same schedule as if the seeds had been directly sown in the garden.

Things You Will Need

Gardening fork

Shovel

Compost

Garden trowel

Watering can

Garden hose nozzle

Fertilizer

Forked hand tool

Small pots

Potting soil

Germinating mix

Tray

Spray bottle

Plastic bag

Twist tie

Tip

Snip off the roots and rinse the the leaves of seedlings you pull when thinning spinach rows. The small Melody spinach leaves may be tossed with pasta, added to salads or placed in sandwiches for added color and flavor.

Melody spinach is an ideal candidate for container gardening. Its attractive foliage complements other bold flower and vegetables in a mixed planter. Containers dedicated solely to growing spinach may be reused for warm-season vegetables after the leafy greens are finished.

Warning

Pests may be attracted to growing spinach. Wash away aphids with a spray of light water, and pick caterpillars and larger pests off the plants by hand.

About the Author

Denise Schoonhoven has worked in the fields of acoustics, biomedical products, electric cable heating and marketing communications. She studied at Newbold College and Middlesex Polytechnic in the UK, and Walla Walla University. A writer since 2008, Schoonhoven is a seasoned business traveler, solo tourist, gardener and home renovator.